Floor crossing was controversial because since 1994, elections in South Africa generally use party-list proportional representation, with voters voting for a political party rather than an individual candidate.
The African National Congress, which held the power in the legislature to change the constitution, then did not favour the measure, as it perceived the DA initiative to be a "congealing of a race and class based political opposition.
The chairman of the ANC, Mosiuoa Lekota, stated that the party's reasons for the legislation was "for some political realignment... and the break-up of racial power blocks.
[3] A bill to amend the constitution to again prevent politicians from keeping their seats when joining other parties, dubbed "crosstitutes", was tabled in Parliament in 2008 in consequence of the ANC decision at its December 2007 National Congress in Polokwane to reject floor crossing.
[4] The bill was passed by Parliament, and floor crossing was subsequently abolished when President Kgalema Motlanthe assented to the constitutional amendment on 6 January 2009.
However, floor crossing allowed MPs to change parties, with the possible result that the composition of the elected bodies no longer represented the original vote count.